Tag: #Michigansunsets

Puzzles…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs or something like that. As the sun passed into the Western sky I smiled a little and enjoyed the fractured sky even though Sunset was a little obscured.

Sometimes things line up just perfectly and sometimes they don’t. In my mind I was playing a Peter Paul Almond Joy commercial after I said that.

Sunset was pretty spectacular this evening as the attached picture shows. If you are not aware I often use previous pictures or some of the 10,000 or so pictures I have saved of sunsets each night. It has been suggested that I tag the place time on each picture and I may do that at some point in the future and make it part of my daily cadence. For now the idea of sharing a beautiful picture or at least a decent picture is enough. 29,000 sunsets is a piece of a puzzle that keeps me writing daily.

We all have puzzle pieces in our life and I hope yours are fitting together quite well. Sometimes we pick up the right piece and sometimes we pick up the wrong piece but we always have a piece that we can set aside to create a picture of our life. My day today was filled with a lot of good pieces as I spent the evening on a group call that was quite spectacular. It made me laugh.

I’d like to suggest today that each day is a piece of a puzzle that will one day be a picture of you. I think that if we take the time and just enjoy the ride it doesn’t matter what the picture is. All that matters is that we try to make a difference and make the best picture we can each and every day.

So as the sun sets on another day let’s take a moment and build that picture that will look beautiful. As we experience New pieces of our puzzle let’s enjoy them. After all there are no pieces missing when you are involved. Keep being you each day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and where is that piece…

Time passages…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was a passage between 2 cascading cloud banks. As the sun set the colors once again muffled, but the beauty was there, as always.

As I sat this evening thinking about the day, I was reminded of the song Time Passages. there is a line in the song that says, “Years go falling in the fading light” and as I sang that song to myself, I thought about how years fade away so fast.

It seems like only yesterday that I held my daughter in my hand, and now I have a grandson from her. It seems like only yesterday that I spent time working so hard to be a professional, only to find that I already was. It seems like only yesterday that I graduated high school thinking about all of the things that I could have done. It seems like only yesterday that my sister and I moved every year and never seem to find any place to call home. It seems like only yesterday that my little sister joined my family and we started an amazing journey together.

There are so many things that slide away from us so fast that we should appreciate more but sometimes don’t in time. There are so many things going on right this moment that we should be sharing with others and we find our time slipping away.

Enough of that depressing stuff. Each day we define the day that we want. To say different is to give up our individuality and our ability to make decisions for ourselves. We need to take that responsibility and acknowledge that no matter what decision we make, it is our decision when it comes to our time. The moments will fly away from us so fast that they will be gone in an instant, but as we look at each day, we need to say I have done the things that are important to me and been with the people that mean something in my life.

I find myself in complex territory that many of you probably share. How do I spend my time wisely, and how do I ensure that the people I feel are important feel the same about me? Even more important, how do I ensure that my perceptions of situations are actually aligned with other people? How do you?

It is funny that I wrote paragraph after paragraph and just deleted them all. I am simply going to end the day with this. Once your time passes, it is gone. Losing a minute or an hour, or a day is something you can never take back and never justify. With that in mind, cherish the people that are important to you because, all too quickly, the time will be gone. This is perhaps one of the few things that are a constant in the perception of humankind, time passes, and time is finite.

so as the sun sets on another day, I hope you know that I appreciate you. Even if I haven’t met you and do not know you, I appreciate that you have taken some time to share a few moments with me. There are people in this world that will never see another moment of time and those people will miss out on all of the things they dreamed of yesterday. Let’s all live our best life today and let people know how great they are, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and howdy out there…

27 days…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was pounded by white flakes that seemed like a never ending barrage of cold. The wind blew and the trees in my forest creaked in response. So many trees have fallen, but so many new begin.

Today is a fun day. There is a jubilant moment in the air as well as more excitement. I can only say that I am thankful for the 27th and all it has brought me, and I have added to that with a new book, released today, “Yet Another Slice of Fear”.

It is a day to celebrate for so many reason and I have done so, and now, I will enjoy my moments and laugh as the snow continues to fall. After all, I am warm for many reasons and all of you are part of this. Thank you for being you today.

So as the sun sets on another day, may your day find a path to excitement and joy, and along the way, find a little fun. Make your day the day you want to remember, and live it like there is no tomorrow. As you do, find new ways to see the world, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and happy day…

Shattered…

The sun sets on another day…

I watched the snow fall, and even though I didn’t get to see a sunset, I shined a flashlight into the sky and watched the path sparkle with iridescent beauty.

Sometimes we have to take a step back for just a moment with our vision of the world is not exactly as it is. We perceive the world through our senses, and as we do, we are often caught within our bias and the functioning of those senses. It is a pretty elaborate trap that contains us, and as we push through life, we should be careful to see what is real and not what we think is real. The difference is often subtle, but it is there.

As I sit here right now I wonder about the illusions and all the people that see their illusion as more than an illusion and as I do I hope that someday we can all see with a vision that opens our hearts and minds to something more.

So as the sun sets on another day, take a moment and shatter your illusions and as you do see the world with new eyes. Remember we are not alone and you are not alone, and as you do, reach out your hand and mind to see more, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and see more…

Prompted…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was almost clear, if you consider covered with clouds as clear. Lake effect snow is funny. Lake effect clouds, meh. It seems that the other side of the state is clear, and that would be nice!

I get asked from time to time where I get my ideas. Each day I am prompted by some event or some strange prompt that asks me to write. We all get prompts if we just pay attention and listen to them. There are prompts for us to do things and prompts for us to not do things. There are things that we are told to do and things that we have to listen closely to understand what it is we should be doing.

I’m sitting here today writing after a gloomy sunset thinking about all of the writing prompts I could have finished in just a moment. As a whole I have used my time wisely but occasionally I have to think about how time flows and what I should be focusing on.

I’ve made a decision this year to focus more and what is important in my time. I hope you can find a way to do this too. Some things may be set aside but others may become a huge focus of my life. My writing is something that will be at the center of it. With that I strongly suggest you consider setting down the phone and walking away from the computer and living life. If we all realized how short life really was and did 29,000 will never be enough perhaps we would be more cautious with our time.

So as the sun sets on another day consider well your time and your prompts. Don’t be afraid to question your prompts as you realize what’s really important in your life and who is really important in your life. Find your way to people who care about you as much as you care about them, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and keep living…

Monday Monday…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was on its way to be magnificent until the clouds closed in and took away the light once again. In Michigan this happens and during the winter we are lost in a perpetual fog for some time.

Once Upon a time it was Monday. Monday is a fantastic day as it starts a work week and can open your mind to new positivities and possibilities. so many people avoid Mondays because they are not happy with their position or their normal day-to-day. I’m reminded of a song, actually I’m reminded of several songs, that perhaps we should look here before we change the world. Instead perhaps we should change our mind and our approach to understanding everything around us. After all our perceptions of the world change each and every day and we constantly believe what we did yesterday we will never see you better tomorrow from the foundations of today.

Sounds easy doesn’t it?

It’s not easy. We need to constantly evolve and anything we are adamant about needs to be reconsidered. Whether it is the depth of our hate for something or another or the depth of our love for something or another doesn’t matter. The magnificence of our love and the limitlessness of our hate can blind us to seeing beyond ourselves. And yes it really is that simple.

My suggestion for this magnificent Monday is to take a moment and evaluate something you love and something you hate. If you love something make sure that that love is able to grow and be more. If you hate something, figure out why and potentially let that go. It is the hate inside of us that often keeps us from growing. Now take a deep breath and smile for a while.

So as the sun sets on another day, today is Monday but let’s make it a good day and the best day that we can have today, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love with passion, and find your way…

Frost…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was cold and wet yet again. This part of the state takes a beating in the winter with few days of sun, and the darkness falling on the land. Still, I know the sunset is high above and the day is good anyway.

I found sunset to be a challenge.

The day was cool and the cold pressed in upon us all. It was as if it was trying to freeze the light and life out of every living thing it could. After a time, I smiled. when you think about the cold you also consider ice and snow and frost. All of these are beautiful beyond belief if you only pay attention, and it takes that cold to make the crystals that sparkle in any light. It is with that in mind that I can look at everything and say, “the day is good” even when it doesn’t seem so.

today was a cold wet day but it was a good day because of the warmth in my heart and the fire of all the people I know and the fantastic things that they do. Take a moment and count the things should be thankful with number one on the list big you are still here, still kicking, and still making a difference. it is people like you that make the world a better place.

So as the sun sets on another day, sure on the outside things may seem difficult but, on the inside, remember that this is a great day. keep being you and making a difference every day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and carry it forward…

All together…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was wet, cold, clammy, and why do clams get such a bad rap. Clams can be fun!

Each day is an adventure. What we do with that adventure is up to us!

Today was an amazing day simply because it was. It wasn’t like there were tons of things to do, a ridiculous amount of suddenly serious money flowing my way, or something else that other people see as fantastic. Instead, it was a very subtle and nice day that flowed from moment to moment without angst or heartache.

As I thought about this tonight and enjoyed the pitter-patter of the rain trickling down the eaves, I laughed a little at all of the things we could have done together and all of the moments we could have shared. Not just me and you or me and us or me and the bunch of you. I’m talking about all of us.

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we could all just enjoy ourselves? Wouldn’t the world be filled with wonderful passion and excitement if we worried about our wonderful passion and excitement and paid attention to what made us happy? After all, isn’t the world a better place when we are all trying to lift each other up not by what we do but by appreciating what everyone does?

It is with that in mind that I ask you now to pay attention to yourself, and let’s all try to be better people each day. Don’t apply your bias to someone else, and instead let’s live every moment to be our absolute best. It’s a nice idea, isn’t it?

So as the sun sets on another day, remember that every day is a chance to be nice and instead of being apart, let’s try to be all together and make our days the most fantastic days that we can, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and carry on…

Blurry lines…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was apparently going to be good again, clear blue skies blanketed the horizon, and then the wester sky welled up with tears and mist, and the sun was gone. Only light remained on a misty horizon.

Have you ever sat down and contemplated the differences between good and not good. Perhaps you equate that with light and darkness. Perhaps you equate that with left and right. You may even equate that on several other levels based on things that should or should not be based on.

Today I spent a good deal of time thinking about what it is to be good and how you will be rewarded if you are good. I also considered how you’ll be punished if you are not good.

For the sake of this post, I am going to use the words good and evil even though there are varying degrees. Forgive me if you don’t agree as I am not using it to say one thing, or another is good or evil. As I considered this day, I wondered who is to set that bar. There are numerous laws and doctrines that set the difference between good and evil. they focus on social attitudes and social norms or things that you would think are common sense. All of those appear to have exceptions as well. The blurred line between good and evil continues to be blurry.

Perhaps we need to step in and set our own parameters. It is my opinion that inside of us is a clear division between good and evil. those things are almost self-evident but if they’re not maybe we should consider I’m easy three-step process.

Does it hurt you? Does it hurt others? Does doing or not doing an action potentially hurt you or others indirectly?

If you notice this pretty much aligns with a lot of different items. Instead of looking at complex laws and ridiculousness you can easily answer any of these three questions and get an idea if you’re on the right track. The third question offers some flexibility as the word potentially could mean nothing. You could potentially do something that will cause a chain reaction that sinks an island in the South Pacific. That action is very unlikely to happen. This is where common sense comes in and ridiculousness comes into play. Driving 200 miles an hour doesn’t hurt you and doesn’t hurt others, but the potential of hurting goes up the faster you’re going, so at what point do you slam on the imaginary brake?

I think about this simply because too many people hurt each other mentally physically right now. If they just followed this guideline and got out of each other’s way, maybe the world would be a little better. Maybe not. I’m just sharing what I’m thinking today. What do you think?

So as the sun sets on another day why not just be nice. Be nice and let’s have a fantastic day every day even in the presence of a sunset with blurs between the lines. Perhaps sometime during the night we will find the wisdom to be good and give everyone else a little piece(peace), no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and do good…

Every____ …

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was a race to the beach as I raced to the horizon. As I reached the shore the clouds swallowed the sun, but still a little color remained. I smiled at the view and the tranquil waves lapping at the sand covered beach. It was good.

I’d like to take a moment and ask you to think about everything. Everything and everywhere and everyone as well. There are so many configurations of the every that we often overlook the any or some. Still everything might be important and everywhere could be equally as important. By that very statement everyone should be important.

You see even if everyone is not important to you, someone is and it would be nice if they were important to someone else and so on and so forth. By default then everyone is important in some way.

I know, there are some people in my life that I don’t think are very important but I am not foolish enough to think that I am the only one that defines them and by default they are important to someone even if it is themselves. With that in mind I’m just asking you to be nice, because you too are very important.

So as the sun sets on another day, thanks for being important and thanks for making life just a little better by being that important person. If you’re reading this, just by being here you are important to me. Be important to yourself and to others and make your day the best ever, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and make a difference…